03 May 2013

Deepening Awareness

Zen Master Joshu stated that over a 60 year period of self-study that he had 17 great Satori, or realizations/awakenings and thousands of little ones.  Osho evolved from being a professor of spirituality to being a very ideosyncratic guru who had a profound impact through his evolving teachings.  Ditto Da Free John. 

The whole concept that there is a final state, a final realization, and ultimate truth is just crazy.  It comes from reading too much Ramana or Nisargadatta and others. And, these supposed Mukta's really never talk much about their experiences or final states.

Ramana never spoke about his own states first hand for over 20 years.  People gave him Advaita books like the Ribhu Gita and others, and he said, "Yes, this is my experience."  As such he never spoke firsthand using his own language, but borrowed his related experience from the scriptures.  Therefore, Ramana's teachings seem dry and dead in comparison with an Osho or Da Free John, or many current teachers.

Now I have a kind of different take on "liberation" and "awakening," if these cursed words are ever used at all, because they carry so much baggage depending on the tradition and teacher.

I don't think freedom or liberation come from attaining or discovering inside oneself the witness or any unchanging awareness. These are relatively easily experienced after a few months or a few years of introspection. After a while, you can be aware of awareness, or the still center, or the background of the void all the time, continuously, and can run there when the world gets too much.

I think the key to freedom comes through freeing one's identification so that one can identify with all kinds of experience or non-experience, including powerful emotions, pain, loss, joy, and the more mystical experiences of Shakti, Kundalini, lights, bliss, ecstatic states.

This freedom comes from "seeing through" all concepts, all creations of thinking and the mind, getting to a place before all thinking. One is simple then, not complex. Reality is not divided into name and form. Objects are no longer objects, but can become subjects, and in any event, are always changing, changing, flowing.

But the center of attention needs to drop into the heart. From there, thoughts do not grab you, and you establish a "feeling" and "energetic" relationship both with the world, and all levels of yourself.

You live in a multidimensionality of changing forms, emotions, thoughts, love, acceptance of everything. This world is so rich, so entertaining, so loving and loved, that there is no need to be anywhere than where you are sans thoughts creating a conventional world.


11 comments:

  1. For me it is truly inspiring that your teaching has evolved, and continues to. It makes it more accessible and real, nothing else in my experience is perfect and unchanging. I'm certainly not! A teaching or teacher that claims to be such just doesn't make sense to me.

    It would be one thing if you were changing to deliberately ride the winds of whatever concept was the latest fast train to God. But what you are doing is chronicling in real time your own unfolding experience, in all its apparent disorganized freedom! So sorry, no easy sound bite answers here. Yet what a valuable and unprecedented testimony it is! Thank you for sharing it with us.

    It is also likely the closest thing to how each of our own paths to understanding and realization will unfold, should that occur with any of your students. I think the stories built up around the classical masters set them apart as holy icons, born of a virgin so to speak, whose states are unattainable by mere mortals such as I. Many teachers encourage that kind of thinking; Da certainly did. Was that of some benefit to his students? I doubt it.

    Thank you so much, Ed.

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  2. Dear Edji, no matter how deep the ocean of samsara may seem that separetes us. I know I failed to love you as much you loved me. But I am still here and always a friend.

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  3. Of course there is a final state, the final state is to know 'what' you are. Having great experiences has nothing to do with 'knowing what' you are. Things happening is not what you are. If you are enlightened and a teacher then, of course, you are trying to find the words for the best way to make others understand as duality demands normally.

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  4. Between finger-pointing to other teachers, digging in history what Robert, Ramana, Nisargadatta said, presenting your daily life and drawing endless descriptions of conciousness, sorts of awakenings and so on I really miss your one-on-one teaching, pointing directly to THAT in the context of the seeker who comes to you ...

    Kathy

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  5. Each teacher is a unique manifestation. You have something special to convey from your direct experience, Edji. I think it takes great courage and honesty to put your experience "out there" the way you do. Sincere seekers of truth will appreciate this and sense the love behind it. Your teaching both past and present has been deeply meaningful to me. I can get past the occasional rough edges of your personality. Those who are mean-spirited are still in kindergarten.

    Love, Serena

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  6. 'Therefore, Ramana's teachings seem dry and dead in comparison with an Osho or Da Free John, or many current teachers'

    Now I've heard everything ....what rubbish!

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  7. @ anonymous,

    Sounds like a comfortable and fixed dogma, to believe 'know' that there is a final state. Something to hold on for me :-).

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  8. Ed,

    I think many miss your point on deepening awareness and experiences as one’s heart needs to be awakened to experience God - the divinity within experience, being and becoming.

    Sri Auribindo on experiences of the Divine (Mother, God) and Self.

    “If one realizes the silent Atman above, there is no danger, but there is also no transformation, only Moksha, Nirvana. If one realizes the cosmic self, dynamic and active, then one realizes all as the Self, all as myself, that self as the Divine, etc. This is all true; but the danger is of the ego catching hold of the “my” in that conception of all as “myself”. For this “myself” is not my personal self but
    everybody’s self as well as mine. The way to get rid of any such danger is to remember that this Divine is also the Mother (God), that the personal “I” is a child of the Mother with whom I am one,
    yet different, her child, servant, instrument. I have said that you should not stop realizing the Self or the cosmic consciousness, but should at the same time remember that all this is the Mother.”

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  9. @Dennis to 'know WHAT you are' is everything but believe.

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  10. I prostrate myself at your "clay. feet"
    I don't know what you "should" - say, not say, do ,not do. teach, not teach.
    I have nothing to contribute to the debate...so not adding to the cacophony of concepts ... is my humble offering to you
    with Love and Gratitude
    Maggie

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